title: It may be more significant than you think: BB air rifle injury to a child's head.
abstract: BB guns of 20 years ago were constructed of coils and springs which generated relatively little force, so that a projectile posed little threat of serious injury. Today, the coil and spring construction has been replaced by pump action pneumatic chambers which allow generation of muzzle velocities near 350 ft/sec. Speeds of 150 ft/sec and 200 ft/sec are required for skin penetration and bone penetration, respectively. We present a seven-year-old boy who suffered intracranial parenchymal injury from an air-powered BB gun projectile while playing with friends. We discuss literature which suggests these once-innocent toys are now harbingers of severe, if not fatal, injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA 90027.
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Senac
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McGrath
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005389:Firearms; D005624:Frontal Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*